Bark Beetle Outbreaks

Millions of pine trees are dying in western North America, all due to a beetle about the size of a grain of rice. The mountain pine beetle uses pheromones, a chemical that attracts other mountain pine beetles, to successfully overwhelm a tree's defenses and kill it. Dr. Ken Raffa at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr. Gary Blomquist at the University of Nevada, Reno are studying the beetle and how climate change is impacting its spread. Changing Planet is produced in partnership with NBC Learn.

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